Second Language

Dr. Susan Curtiss, Professor of Linguistics at UCLA, who studies the way children learn languages, notes that in language development there is a window of opportunity in which the child learns that first language normally. After this period, the brain becomes slowly less plastic and by the time the child reaches adolescence, the brain cannot develop "richly and normally any real cognitive system, including language."

The four- or five-year old learning a second language is a "perfect model for the idea of the critical period." According to Dr. Curtiss:

...the power to learn language is so great in the young child that it doesn't seem to matter how many languages you seem to throw their way...They can learn as many spoken languages as you can allow them to hear systematically and regularly at the same time. Children just have this capacity. Their brain is just ripe to do this...there doesn't seem to be anyjavascript:void(0) detriment to...develop(ing) several languages at the same time.
When children wait until high school to start studying a foreign language, the job is much harder. The task now involves learning the rules of grammar, translating, reading, and trying to develop language learning strategies. The task is a different one than it was for the young child in the sensitive period for language learning. Brain plasticity has been lost, the number of synapses has greatly reduced, and the brain no longer has the same facility to restructure itself that it had when the child was young.

越早開始學外語越好、其實可以幾歳開始呢？

胎兒在母親懐體内第七個月，已能辨認母親的聲音。

『新聞週刊』 2005 年 8 月15 日的科研報導，詳列幼兒腦神經細胞末稍數目在出生後首一年內翻天覆地的變化。語言細胞神經末稍的數目，由出生時的 20% 大幅激增至第八個月的100%巔峰 ，其後急劇回落，用不著的語言細胞神經末稍，大幅被淘汰，辨音能力越是下降。

單語家庭的孩子，到週歲時只剩下70% ，4 歲時只剩下40% ，成年人只剩下約12% 。研究顯示，幼兒有機會接觸多種語言，可以減少語言細胞神經末稍的數目的下降。細胞神經末稍的數目，直接影響一個人的辨音能力，決定有沒有語言天份。

多語地區的孩子，能辨認的語音多，北歐多語地區的孩子，能辨認六十多個語音。多學一種歐洲語言，對英語幫助很大。馬来西亜、新加坡、瑞士、荷蘭、比利時等歐州多語地區的孩子，語言能力遠超單語國家的孩子、亦没有出現語言混淆。

有語言學家認為腦的發達階段大致可分成到3等級。
第１段階－從0歲到3歲左右 「三歳定八十」、三歳時腦神經細胞的線路完成70～80％。這個時候被認為是【模仿的階段】、孩子無條件地學習吸収。特別母親的作用是最大。
第２段階－4歲～7歲左右 小學入學前後。是【自我主張階段】。
第３段階－是10歲前後　是【腦細胞完成階段】。

4年或5歲是學習第二語言的“完美的模型”的關鍵時期。
不論多少種語言，幼兒可以了解許多種語言 若您有系統並定期讓他們經常地聆聽，他們就可以同時學懂說出各種語言！
Dr. Susan Curtiss, Professor of Linguistics at UCLA 語言學教授

學習方法<<深層記憶>>

最近在一次家長與小學校長的會談中的對話、該校是在近年成立的以活動教學模式上課、少功課、少黙書、少測験、希望學生従愉快的學習過程中得到智識。
在會談中有家長對校長提問：“若在没有功課、没有黙書、少測験的状況下怎様去知道孩子没有懒惰呢？”
校長説：“有功課、有黙書、有測験學生便會懒惰了、續説：學生毎日有大量功課的話便會想盡辨法去趕快完成功課、因越快完成便越多時間去玩。而黙書、測験多亦不代表學生會多用心去記、很多學生在他們黙書、測験前一日才温習、黙書、測験後便全忘記了。”
而有家長提問：“如何才可使孩子在學習得到更深刻的深層記憶呢？”
另一位教師在回答此問題時説道：“小時候有什麼會使我們有深刻印象、到長大後依然印象深刻的呢？　是不是越是愉快的時刻我們的印象越深刻？
只要孩子認為學習是愉快的、對學習内容越有興趣、孩子便會越容易上手、把學習内容留在心裏、印象越深刻了。”
相信此問題真的値得我們去思考…

The Oxford Reading Tree

The Oxford Reading Tree 的故事情節有趣，有助増加小朋友的興趣，鼓勵他們閱讀。小朋友在閱讀後可従練習冊継續完成活動練習，包括拼音，語法和理解練習，以確保他們理解故事書内容。

教學及學習心得

Phonics 拼音法　其實在小朋友識講説話開始、一般２歳便可以學習並作正確回答、可慢慢試作10、20、30分鐘的教授、因小朋友耐性需要培養、例如先教 Apple、Banana等單字、再慢慢教拼音 a,a, Apple; b, b, Banana等, 教10分鐘拼音、或玩一些估相同圖片, 拼圖等遊戯、講故事是相當重要。而在K1入學後、小朋友一般已可以較耐時間座着學習、若小朋友有耐性可嘗試毎日教20分鐘拼音Phonics、30分間閲讀、講故事、玩串字拼字咭等遊戯、培養學習習慣。
而學習拼音的好處是小朋友、明白拼音便能自行閲讀、不用死記養成自我閲讀習慣。

Jolly Phonics

Jolly Phonics 是一套很出名的拼音法、是世界各地流行的英語拼音法、此拼音法専為幼稚園至初小的學童而設計、教法非常易學及常用、採用常用字母學習拼音的好處在於、初學拼音的學童能在學習後馬上使用於常用字裏、使學童建立自信心學習。此教材内容生動有趣、使學童透過輕鬆學習吸収、明白生字的拼音、理解聲韻及拼音的不同組合、透過聆聽自行組字發音。進而續漸増加其他教材、豊富學童的拼音字源、學童便能慢慢解開拼音密碼。 其他有Letterland、與Jolly Phonics 都是非常出名的Phonics拼音法。

Jolly Phonics

Children will learn the 42 main sounds. Besides single sounds, children will learn letter formation and blending to help them read and spell new words and to tackle tricky words, thus expanding their new vocabulary.

Oxford Reading Bookworms

The Oxford Reading Tree reading books are funny with interesting storylines which will interest your children and encourage them to read. Students will complete activity sheets including phonics, grammar and comprehension exercises to ensure their understanding of the storybook.

Chatterbox Workshop
This course encourages children to develop better speaking and communication skills as it offers them a chance to practice their oral skills with Ms. Hannah.The topic for conversation can come from storybooks, poems or other reading materials and introduces the language, grammar and vocabulary associated with that subject.